Elderly woman gunned down by police

Members of Pearlie Gold’s (right) community have nothing but good things to say about their longtime neighbor.

HEARNE, Texas (AP) — A 93-year-old Central Texas woman was fatally shot at her home by a police officer when after she allegedly brandished a gun, the Hearne Police Department said Wednesday.

Pearlie Golden, a longtime resident of Hearne who was affectionately known to her neighbors as Ms. Sully, was shot Tuesday night by Officer Steven Stem, Robertson County District Attorney Coty Siegert said. Stem was responding to a 911 call about a disturbance involving a woman with a gun.

The Hearne Police Department said in a written statement that Golden “brandished a firearm” when Stem encountered her. He then shot her multiple times.

A revolver believed to be the weapon Golden had at the time of the shooting was found at the scene by officers, the statement said. She was taken to a hospital in nearby Bryan where she died from the injuries.

The investigation is being handled by the Texas Rangers.

“She did have a gun. … Now, what she was doing with it, that is the ultimate question,” said Siegert.

City attorney Bryan Russ Jr. said the officer has been put on paid administrative leave as is standard protocol when an officer is involved in a shooting. “What we believe is that she was instructed to drop the weapon, that is my understanding,” Russ said.

He could not comment any further because the investigation is ongoing.

Hearne is a town of about 4,500 people that’s about 140 miles south of Dallas.